Bonds That Bind
by Hitori Mura
Summary: [AU] Naruto learns how to 'control' his seal, with help from a ghostly Yondaime. With his newfound powers, what can Naruto do? Chapter 1 up, R&R please!
1. Prologue: The Seal Of The Demon

Naruto: Bonds That Bind  
  
Prologue: The Seal Of The Demon  
  
Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto. Damn. All other OC characters are mine and you have no right to use them!!! Wahahaha (Chokes to death) Hrm. Anyway all jutsus don't belong to me other than those new ones that Naruto and others will learn along the way.  
  
Note: The seal that the Yondaime used is not the one in the anime/manga! What is it? You will find out... eventually... (Evil laugh)   
  
-----  
  
"NO! DON'T DO IT, YONDAIME-SAMA!!" A shout cut across the roaring night. The monster fox, the Kyuubi of the Underworld, roared as it faced the 4th Hokage. He grinned, and wiped a sliver of blood from his mouth.  
  
"Don't worry... I wont be gone just yet..." Then, the Yondaime looked to his right, and spoke, "Jiraiya-sensei... I hope that you can look after Naruto... until the time is right..."  
  
Looking grimly at the Yondaime, Jiraiya nodded and spoke softly. "Now go... and do what you must do, my student."  
  
Looking up into the horizon, the Yondaime saw a future that he would never live. "Goodbye..." was his final words as he performed a series of seals. "Fuuin: Azarashi No Chi (Sealing Technique: Seal Of Blood)!"  
  
A black hole look-alike appeared above the Kyuubi and the Yondaime. As it begun to suck both of them into itself, the Yondaime quickly drew a line across his arms and legs with blood. As the Kyuubi was sucked in, he then performed more seals and slammed both his palms into his heart.  
  
"SEAL!" He shouted as the black hole closed, and a dark, misty line began to form from the black hole into his heart. Looking down, the 4th Hokage saw a child so pure... that it pained him to complete his fuuin. "I'm sorry... Naruto..." as he placed his palms softly on the baby's chest. "Now be gone forever, demon fox!" Drawing a cross on the baby's chest with blood, he shouted again, "Fuuin: Seimei No Gesei(Sealing Technique: Sacrifice Of Life)!" And the Yondaime was slowly absorbed into the black burning seal that was forming on the baby's chest. "We shall meet again... Naruto..." And he was gone. The demon Kyuubi was sealed, into the body of an innocent child.  
  
And this was a beginning of a new life. A horrible one.  
  
-----  
  
"So Jiraiya... the time has come... has it not?" The 3rd Hokage looked as his student, one of the legendary Sennins.  
  
"Yes... 8 years have passed since the time of the Yondaime's death. And it is time to fulfill my duty." Looking around, Jiraiya asked, "Where is the brat anyway?"  
  
As soon as he had spoke, Naruto came running into the Hokage's office. "(Gasp) A PERVERT!!!!!!" Naruto shouted into Jiraiya's face, who was looking in shock at Naruto.  
  
"What did you just say you lil' brat???" Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's collar and continued to stare back at him.  
  
"You're a pervert because you have long white hair. All perverts have them. Then you have those weird markings. All perverts also have them. Then... you have a slap on your face!! Bet you must have just gone to the public bath to go peek at women."  
  
Glaring at Naruto, Jiraiya was about to punch him when he heard a cough. "(Cough Cough) Well don't you think that's enough for the day? Why don't you introduce yourself to Naruto, Jiraiya?"  
  
"Hrmph!" Jiraiya dropped Naruto onto the floor as looked at him. "I am the one, the only, Jiraiya! Master of frogs and charm, I can make any women fall to my whim in just one look! Respect me my boy!"  
  
Slapping his face in irritation, the 3rd Hokage turned to Naruto, who was looking with no interest at all. "Naruto, Jiraiya will be your teacher from now on, until you have become strong enough to return to the village. He will teach you the ways of the shinobi, so I hoe that you can learn well from him."  
  
Then turning to Jiraiya, he said, "Jiraiya... don't pass any of your perverted behavior to him, ok?" Laughing at the look on Jiraiya's face, he spoke to both of them. "Both of you had better leave the village as soon as possible, preferably now. Naruto, if you have nothing to bring along, I guess both of you should be on your way."  
  
Looking at the 3rd Hokage, Naruto spoke softly, "You know I have nothing that belongs to me... So I guess we can go now."  
  
Pulling Jiraiya out of the office, Naruto began to ask the Sennin a thousand and one questions. Sighing, the 3rd Hokage walked back to his desk and sat down.  
  
"Train him well... Jiraiya... So that one day, he may have the strength and courage to face his destiny..."  
  
-----  
  
Author's notes :- So what you guys think of that? Hate it? Love it? Any advice you have, just post in down in your reviews or drop me a short e-mail and I'll see whether I can do anything about it! And please R&R! Thanks!  
  
And oh yes, does anyone know the real name of the Yondaime?(Does he have one in the first place?) If anyone knows it, please tell me. If he does not have one, then anyone with a good suggestion for his name can just drop me a note in the review, or gimme a short e-mail. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1: The Awakening

Naruto: Bonds That Bind  
  
Chapter 1: The Awakening  
  
Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto. Damn. All other OC characters are mine and you have no right to use them!!! Wahahaha (Chokes to death) Hrm. Anyway all jutsus don't belong to me other than those new ones that Naruto and others will learn along the way.  
  
Summary: The Kyuubi attacked Konoha but was sealed by the Yondaime into Naruto. Now Naruto has to leave the village at 8yrs old to train himself up for his future.  
  
[...] - Thoughts  
  
-----  
  
"Come Naruto... don't you think you should rest for the day?" Jiraiya looked almost boringly at Naruto, who was punching non-stop at a tree. Though many splinters had already cut deep into his fist, Naruto still continued to punch furiously at the tree.  
  
"Not yet, Perverted Sennin! Only 356 more punches before I can rest," Naruto panted as he continued punching.  
  
Shaking his head, Jiraiya stood and said, "I'm going to the village for awhile to get our dinners. Don't train till you die, rest after you've completed your punches." And with that, he left.  
  
Naruto was currently 10 yrs old, having left the village for 2 years already. He had been training with Jiraiya, who had promised that he would teach him many jutsus, but only after Naruto had completed his trial.  
  
"I wonder what the trail is..." Naruto kept thinking as he punched. "And I wonder when will I get to do the damn trial! It's been ages since we've left, and all I've done is train up my taijutsu, with more speed and power. Damn it! I want to do the many jutsus that the Perverted Sennin can!" Naruto furiously punched the tree, until he could hear a cracking sound on his knuckles, and stopped.  
  
"Damn not again!" Naruto slumped onto the floor, his right fist bleeding profusely. "I'm too weak now... what can I do when the 'trial' comes? I have to get stronger!" and he stood again on his shaky legs, and begun to punch the tree again.  
  
"Tsk... you're at it again... and didn't I tell you to rest once you're done?" Jiraiya suddenly appeared next to him and grabbed his arms. Sighing, he turned to Naruto, "Naruto, although it IS good to train hard, but its no use if you kill yourself training you know... you should know your own limits, and try to reach them but not surpass it."  
  
Sighing again, Jiraiya healed his fists, and turned to him. "Now eat, and rest. Your trial will come tonight, so be prepared for it."  
  
And he left.  
  
-----  
  
Snoring soundly, Naruto didn't stir a bit when Jiraiya crept towards him. Smiling slightly to himself, Jiraiya let chakra gather into his palm, and placed it on Naruto's seal. "Demon Seal Unleash!(1)" muttered Jiraiya, and chakra flowed into the seal.  
  
Naruto shuddered and spasmed on the ground, before he finally stopped and became silent again.  
  
Standing up, Jiraiya quickly left the forest. There was going to be trouble in that area very, very soon. Before he left, he whispered to Naruto, "Before one can conquer the world, one must conquer himself. Do not fail me, Naruto..."  
  
-----  
  
"Wha... What is this place?" Naruto muttered to himself as he walked through a dark hall. Suddenly, the seal on his chest glowed brightly, and a ghost- like figure flowed out of it.  
  
"What the!? Oh noooo I'm dying! My guts are flowing out of my body! Nooo! I'm too young to die!" Naruto wailed as he grabbed his chest.  
  
"Shut up you idiot!" A fist suddenly knocked Naruto, causing him to fall onto the floor"  
  
"What the!? Who's there?"  
  
A figure of someone looking very similar to... someone appeared in front of Naruto. He was tall, but semi-transparent like a ghost.  
  
"Wh... Who are you?" Naruto stuttered as he walked away from the figure.  
  
"I am... a ghost to haunt you... from hell!" And he cackled with evil laughter before looking at Naruto. "Nah just joking. Actually, I'm the Yondaime. And I am your dad."  
  
Looking at the ghostly figure with utter shock, Naruto shouted at him.  
  
"YOU MUST BE JOKING!!!!!!!!"  
  
-----  
  
"So... you mean that... when you sealed this Kyuubi thing inside of me, you also had to seal yourself into me?"  
  
"Yes... well it seemed like a good idea at that time..." The Yondaime scratched his head. "But it doesn't seem like one now..."  
  
"Uhh... ok so anyway how the heck did you seal yourself here in the first place?"  
  
"Well... I used this forbidden sealing jutsu which would firstly seal the Kyuubi into me, so that I would be able to restrain it with my chakra, then I had to seal it into another medium which was you, so that the Kyuubi could not escape if I could not manage to counter its strength."  
  
"Anyway, the seal was to be dormant for 10 years, and after that, I had told Jiraiya to perform the 'Demon Seal Unleash' so that you would be able to get control of the Kyuubi, and ultimately destroy it in the future."  
  
"Then what is this place?" Naruto looked at his 'dad' with a questioning look.  
  
"This is the underworld, where I was sent to after I sealed the Kyuubi in you. I had to die temporarily, and be trapped in your body, but a ghost image of me can be created when chakra is directed into the seal. So the me you are looking at now is something like a bunshin, only that I can behave like a ghost, but I have to stay close to you so that the chakra will not escape."  
  
"The underworld? Then why the heck am I here? Don't tell me that the Perverted Sennin killed me..."  
  
Laughing at his son, the Yondaime ruffled his hair and spoke, "No no... you are here because you have to face the trial, to test your ability as 'Ruler of the Underworld'. When I performed the seal, I had to sacrifice myself so that the Underworld Master, the Kyuubi, would become contained. You will be the one in the future to have to fight the Kyuubi, but before you do, there are 9 demons in the Underworld that you have to face to test your power."  
  
"You can face them whenever you want, but when you engage one of them in combat, the battle will not end until one side dies." Looking seriously at Naruto, he spoke again. "And I hope that you will not be the one."  
  
"But but... why must I be the one to have to fight them?"  
  
"Because, my child, when I sealed the Kyuubi, the Underworld lost its master. But I signed a blood pact with them, and told them that YOU would be the one to reign over them. They accepted this, but only if you could defeat the 10 levels of hell. The final level is the Kyuubi, and if you are able to defeat them all, you will be granted enormous powers, and the Kyuubi will be gone from this world for eternity."  
  
"Wha... What are the 10 levels of hell?"  
  
"The 10 levels are the places where the Underworld demons are split into. In the Underworld, there is also ranking, like in a village, just that there are 10 ranks. The first level is something like the Genin, and as it goes on, they become stronger and tougher. The Kyuubi is like the Hokage, who reigns over the Underworld."  
  
Sighing deeply, Naruto sat down. All that his dad had told him was rushing through his mind, Demons? Underworld? This all HAD to be a dream. A very, very bad one.  
  
The Yondaime looked at Naruto. He knew that the burden he had suddenly placed on him was too great to bear. For a child his age, Naruto had an extremely strong will, for other normal kids would have already had a mental breakdown from what was just said.  
  
[But you are my son, and no son of mine will EVER give up so easily]  
  
"So Naruto, are you up the challenge?" The 4th Hokage placed his arms around Naruto, who was suddenly shaking.  
  
Turning around, Naruto had a devious gleam in his eyes. "Up to the challenge? You bet I am! Bring on the Demons!"  
  
Smiling slightly to himself, Yondaime brought Naruto to the first level. [Now that's my son]  
  
-----  
  
"Whoa... this place is... real dark..." Naruto muttered as he and the Yondaime walked through a series of cages.  
  
"Well, here it is," said the Yondaime as he stopped in front of a dark cage, with metal bars in front of it.  
  
"Uh huh. So bring it on, you demon!" Naruto shouted, which was immediately replied by roar.  
  
"WHAT? WHO DARES DISTURB MY PEACEFUL SLEEP!! YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR FOOLISHNESS!" A voice replied, as a fire was suddenly lit in the middle of the cage, and an enormous shadow appeared.  
  
Shrinking back in fear, Naruto looked as his dad with a questioning look. "Uh dad... what's inside there?"  
  
"Uhh well... the first level demon is a dragon... I won't say much, but do your best son." And with that he pushed Naruto through the bars. "Good luck."  
  
Stumbling into the cage, Naruto expected to see a humongous dragon with those horrible fangs and that spiked tail but all he saw was...  
  
"What the? A puny... salamander?" Naruto sputtered as he faced the 5-inch tall 'demon'. "This HAS got to be a mistake... who the heck are you?"  
  
"Treat me with respect kid. I'm the legendary, one-of-a-kind, invincible, demonic dragon. I am Hiryuu(Fire Dragon), and I'm going to kick your sorry ass today kid. Watch for it."  
  
And with that, the dragon disappeared with a puff and in its place appeared a 7-foot tall dragon. "I have the power of fire kid, it beware. My fire isn't any ordinary one."  
  
Opening his mouth, the dragon spat two fireballs. Naruto dodged them easily, and grinned, "Is that all you got?"  
  
"Heh, don't be too confident kid." The dragon grinned as flames surrounded Naruto.  
  
"What the...?" Naruto gasped as the fire swirled around him and covered him. "Let me out of here!" Naruto punched the fire wall, only to no avail. "Dammit!"  
  
"Hahaha... kid you gotta try harder then that. Aren't you supposed to be the future Lord of the Underworld? How are you even going to be that if you can't even beat me? Just give up kid, and I'll let you live for another day."  
  
"Heh... you think you got me?" Naruto grinned as he suddenly behind the dragon.  
  
"What? How did you get out of the fire in the first place?" The dragon gasped.  
  
"Hmm... try this. What if I wasn't even –in- the fire in the first place?" Grinning again, Naruto jumped into mid air and spun quickly on the spot, slamming the dragon with his heel.  
  
"Oh crap! Kawamiri no jutsu! Damn I forgot!" The dragon fell to the floor with a loud thud, as he noticed his fire was merely spiraling around a statue of sand.  
  
"Heh, even though I don't know much ninjutsus or genjutsus, I still know some basic ones." Naruto stood on the dragon's head and grinned again. "Now take this! My own special taijutsu technique, Kunai Rain!"  
  
Taking out several and placing one between each of his fingers, Naruto started to spin in mid air, and suddenly threw the kunais at the dragon.  
  
"There's still more of where that came from!" Shouted Naruto as more kunais flew towards the dragon.  
  
"Ugh... damn I can't move..." groaned the dragon, as he tried to crawl away from the sudden downpour of kunais.  
  
Suddenly, the kunais stopped dropping out of nowhere, and Naruto appeared, sitting on the head of the dragon. With a kunai in his hand against the dragon's throat, he grinned.  
  
"Heh heh, seems like its my turn to say it eh? 'Just give up dragon, and I might just let you live for another day.'"  
  
"Bah! It was just luck kid, the next guy you're gonna fight ain't gonna be as easy as I was. I just underestimated you. Don't get too cocky over it." And the dragon disappeared in a puff, and on Naruto's arm there was a sudden glow of bright light.  
  
"What the...? Naruto grabbed his arm, which felt as though it was on fire. "ARGGH!" But the burning sensation stopped, and Naruto panted from the pain as he slowly rolled his sleeve up.  
  
"Ah yes, it seems that you have defeated Hiryuu, and he has recognized you as the future Lord of the Underworld," the Yondaime commented as he walked up to Naruto.  
  
"Well, it seems that you should return back to your world. An eerie glow surrounded the Yondaime's palm, and he slammed it into Naruto's seal. "Demon Seal Revoke(2)!"  
  
And darkness enveloped Naruto, sending him back to reality.  
  
-----  
  
"Ow... damn my head hurts like crazy..." Naruto groaned as he sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Man... that was a REALLY weird dream..."  
  
"Huh, you think that it was a dream? Well think again sonny."  
  
"What the... who's that there?" Spooked out by the ghostly voice, Naruto quickly jumped up and got into his battle stance.  
  
"Gawd... it's me you idiot... its your dad... the Yondaime..."  
  
"What? You mean that wasn't a dream?"  
  
"(Rolleyes) No DUH. What do you think I am, a figment of your imagination?"  
  
"Uh well... yeah..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Anyway... where the heck are you? I don't sense you anywhere..."  
  
"I'm in YOU you idiot..."  
  
"Eh? Oh... ok now I remember... But what do I do so I can see you?"  
  
"Well, just focus some chakra into your palm, and place it on your seal. Then, release the chakra and let it flow into the seal. And it won't hurt. Trust me."  
  
"Well... ok..." Focusing some chakra into his palm, Naruto then proceeded to allow it to flow into the seal, which suddenly glowed, and as usual, a ghostly figure flowed out of his seal.  
  
"Gosh... this HAS got to be one of my worst nightmares..."  
  
Whacking Naruto on his head again, the Yondaime appeared, but not as solid as he was inside Naruto's body. "Seems that your chakra is still rather weak... never mind, we'll work on that next time."  
  
"Uhh... ok... so... what do we do now?"  
  
"Now, we train."  
  
-----  
  
"Roll up your sleeves, Naruto."  
  
Doing as he was told, Naruto rolled up his sleeves, and was astonished to find a dark 'dragon' word imprinted on his skin."  
  
"Dad... What's that?"  
  
Smiling at Naruto, the Yondaime explained. "You see, when ever you defeat a demon, its name will be imprinted on your skin, as a proof that you have defeated it."  
  
Continuing, the Yondaime said, "In the hierarchy of the Underworld, the Lord has control over all the power, or chakra, of the demons. He himself does not really posses much power, but with all the chakra that the demons can provide him with, he has almost an unlimited supply of chakra."  
  
"Each level provides about 10 percent of chakra to the Kyuubi, while he himself has 10 percent of his own chakra. If you are able to defeat a demon, you will be able to freely use the demon's ability. You can use his chakra, or even summon him. But with such power, comes many disadvantages. You can summon the demon anytime you want, and it will not do much. But if you really wish for its power, then you will have to unleash the 'seal' that the demon placed on you, or its wording. If you release the seal too many times, the demon will eventually have full control over you and your body. And you will die."  
  
"But I can summon him without any harm right?" Naruto questioned.  
  
"That is correct."  
  
"So... can I try to summon him now? Can I?" Naruto looked eagerly at his father, who smiled ever so slightly.  
  
"Sure you can. Now, I'm going to teach you a rather complex jutsu, so listen up good. It's called the 'Jigoku Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Underworld Summoning Technique)', and it's quite different from the normal Kuchiyose No Jutsu(Summoning Technique), as it requires no chakra at all, and also no blood pacts are required with the selected tribe or creature. All you have to do is first, use some blood to draw a stroke across the selected demon's sign. Then, perform a series of seals," (Performs the series of seals)," and place your right palm on the seal on your chest. You should be able to see some words appear on the seal and spreading out, before both the seal and the demon sign will glow white, and the summoned demon will appear."  
  
"Whoa... that's really a lot... well I'll try it anyway!" Biting his finger, Naruto drew a stroke over the 'dragon' wording with his blood, and performed the series of seals, before he placed his palm on his chest. "Jigoku Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"  
  
With a puff of smoke, the dragon suddenly appeared in front of Naruto.  
  
"Well, whaddya want, 'master'?" Muttered the dragon at it performed a mock bow to Naruto.  
  
"Er... you're... Hiryuu... right?"  
  
"Yea yea yea... so what do you want? Better have a good reason for waking me up from my precious sleep..."  
  
"Whoa cool! I can summon!" Naruto jumped in joy as Hiryuu and the Yondaime stared at him, sweatdrops obviously visible on their heads.  
  
"Ahem ahem... well, seems that you have gotten the gist of summoning demons, Naruto. I'll be off now, since your chakra is getting weaker by the moment, and remember, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT ever release any of the demon seals unless you have a really really good reason for it." And with that, the Yondaime disappeared back into Naruto's seal.  
  
"Well, shouldn't we be getting on too, Hiryuu?"  
  
"What?" Hiryuu looked questioningly at Naruto.  
  
"Time to train."  
  
-----  
  
"What techniques do you know, Hiryuu?"  
  
"Well... a couple of fire techniques. Not much." And he began counting them off his fingers. "Hikabe No Jutsu (Fire Wall No Jutsu), Rasenhi No Jutsu (Spiraling Fire No Jutsu), Hi Tsurugi No Jutsu (Fire Sword No Jutsu), and my self created technique, Hiryuu No Jutsu (Fire Dragon No Jutsu)!"  
  
"What kind of idiot would name a technique after himself?"  
  
"Hey! I'm really proud of that technique you know, just wait till you see it in action before you comment on it."  
  
"Fine fine... well, let me see your Rasenhi No Jutsu then!"  
  
"...Whatever." Hiryuu began to call up an enormous amount of chakra, and then released them, turning the chakra into a gigantic spiraling cone of fire, which could be seen for miles.  
  
"Wow..." Naruto was dumbstruck at the power of the technique.  
  
As soon as the jutsu was stopped, Naruto saw Hiryuu lying on the floor in a daze. "Hey hey! What happened to you?" Naruto asked as he picked him up.  
  
"Ugh... damn... I forgot that I shouldn't have released all my chakra... damn... it really hurts..." Hiryuu groaned as he tried to sit up, but couldn't muster the strength to do so.  
  
Looking at Naruto, he could see concern all over the boy's face. No body had ever shown any concern to him at all. He was just one of the demons in the underworld. [One of the weakest too] he added.  
  
Smiling silently to himself, Hiryuu wondered, [Maybe, just maybe, this relationship could turn out to a fascinating one]  
  
"Ok kids, since I'm knocked out now, I think I'd better explain to you what summoning a demon means. When you summon a demon, its completely different from a normal summon. For a normal summon, you can summon many different types, as long as they belong to the same tribe or species, meaning that there are probable hundreds or even thousands of different creatures you can summon with a single blood pact."  
  
"But for a demon, you can only summon one demon. Meaning that you can only summon me with your 'dragon' seal, and no others. Also, for normal summons, the creature that you summon will be healed when the summoning is stopped. That means if you summon a toad, and it gets severely injured, you can stop the summon and summon it again, and it will be completely healed. But for a demon, its injuries will not be healed except at 12 midnight everyday, when all the demons will be fully healed. So remember, if you wish to keep fighting a lot in a day, either look after the demon that you summon so that you don't injure or exhaust it, or learn how to use the many abilities of the different summons, so that you don't have to summon the same demon all the time, and can use a variety of abilities."  
  
Looking at Naruto, Hiryuu spoke again. "But seems like it'll take some time before you can get the other summons, so I guess you have to learn how to cope with me only before you defeat the other demons. Oh and one more thing, don't forget demons have an attitude, so don't piss them off too much. They may just slack off in battle if they don't like you much."  
  
"...That's a lot to remember..."  
  
Laughing at Naruto, Hiryuu tried to stand again. "Don't worry, at least you have me to depend on if you can't defeat the other demons yet."  
  
Grinning at Hiryuu, Naruto replied, "Thanks a lot, Hiryuu!"  
  
Smiling back at Naruto, Hiryuu thought to himself, [This could be a wonderful friendship after all...]  
  
-----  
  
"Ah... Jiraiya... it has been 4 years... has it not?" The 3rd Hokage looked at Jiraiya, who had just returned to Konoha.  
  
"Yes indeed, and Naruto too has grown much over these years."  
  
"Well, I guess I should place him back into the academy for the Genin test... send him to me, will you?"  
  
Nodding, Jiraiya walked out, just as Naruto rushed into the Hokage's office.  
  
"Heya old man Hokage!" Naruto shouted loudly.  
  
"Well well well... isn't the hyperactive Naruto... how have you been with Jiraiya for the past four years?"  
  
"Oh, it was ok, just that we stopped a lot whenever Jiraiya thought he had to gather more data for his book... which was about everyday. Other then that it was quite fine."  
  
Laughing at a stuttering Jiraiya who had gone red in the cheek, the Hokage told Naruto, "Naruto, I will be placing you back into the academy, so that you will be able to take the tests like all the other kids. Do you mind that?"  
  
Looking curiously at the 3rd, Naruto slowly nodded. "Ok... as long as I'm not treated like I was in the past... I'm fine with that."  
  
Sighing, the 3rd looked at Naruto. [How innocent he is... why did fate have to be so cruel and cause him such unhappiness?]  
  
"All right, I'll make sure that no one treats you badly, but they all will treat you with respect."  
  
Nodding at the 3rd, Naruto left his office.  
  
[What a strong will... but I wonder... how long will that last?]  
  
-----  
  
As Naruto walked down the streets with Jiraiya, he could hear many mutters amongst the people.  
  
"Isn't that the demon kid?""Don't go too close to him! He may kill you!""Ssh! He might hear what you are saying!"  
  
Suddenly there was a shout, "Hey you! Blonde haired kiddo!"  
  
Having just about enough, Naruto turned around to face the person who called him, who happened to be... a minute sized boy.  
  
"Yeah you! I'm talking to you, so listen up!"  
  
"Er... who the heck are you?"  
  
"I'm Konohamaru, and I'm going to be the future Hokage! And you're going to fight me right here now!"  
  
"Ah... buzz of kid. I'm not in a good mood today." Naruto continued on his way to his new apartment.  
  
"Wha? How dare you turn your back to me! Take this!" Konohamaru shouted as he jumped into the air and attempted to kick Naruto.  
  
"Heh. You're just about a thousand years early to try and hit me with that, kiddo." Naruto grinned as he suddenly appeared behind Konohamaru.  
  
"What!?" Konohamaru gasped as he hit air, and fell to the floor with a 'thud'.  
  
"Oww... that hurts..."  
  
Grinning again, Naruto picked up Konohamaru. "Now go home kid. It's past your bedtime already."  
  
"Shut up! Why does everyone keep treating me like a kid? I'm already grown up, can't you all see that?"  
  
"Really?" Naruto lifted one eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah! Watch me, one day I'm going to trash you, then you'll treat me with a little more respect!" And with that, Konohamaru ran off.  
  
Sighing, Naruto continued to walk. "Er... Jiraiya..."  
  
"Huh?" Jiraiya started as he tried to wipe off his nosebleed.  
  
"Can I just ask you one question?"  
  
"Uhh... ok whatever."  
  
"What is so great about becoming 'Hokage'? I mean, you have to sacrifice your life just for the village, and you probably live just for the good of the village!"  
  
"Whoa... beautiful..." Jiraiya nosebled again as he stared through his binoculars.  
  
"Hey! Listen to me!" Naruto whacked Jiraiya on his head.  
  
"Ow... fine..." Keeping his binoculars, Jiraiya turned to Naruto and squatted down.  
  
"You see Naruto, a Hokage can only become one if he loves the village. The only reason why the Hokage is so strong, is that he would do anything for the village, for the people. No matter what, the Hokage will always try his/her best to protect them. That, my boy, is the power of love. Love is something that fills up the emptiness within your heart, and gives you the courage to face on any troubles that you may encounter." Standing, Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair.  
  
"Why do you think your dad wanted to sacrifice himself for the village, to seal the demon? He did out of love, for the village, the people he cherished, and you. If he had just been a coward and ran away, do you think this village would even continue to exist now? Of course not!"  
  
Looking down, Naruto muttered, "But to just die... isn't that just too sad? All the dreams that he had... gone in an instant..."  
  
"It isn't just as simple as that. The people of the village will carry on his dream, and they will make it come true. A Hokage has to put the village before himself, if he is to become one. Well, don't worry too much about it anyway. I don't imagine you becoming one in the future!" Laughing, Jiraiya continued walking.  
  
Looking towards the far horizon, Naruto could see the sun setting. [Is that why you died dad? For your love of the village, and for me?] Naruto had never experienced love shown to him, except for one guy who always treated him ramen, and Jiraiya, who was just his sensei and didn't really care much about him except his training.  
  
Sighing, Naruto ran after Jiraiya. [Maybe one day, I'll understand what it means to be a Hokage]  
  
-----  
  
As Naruto stepped into the Ninja Academy for his Genin test, he suddenly recognized someone very familiar.  
  
"Hey! You're that guy who always treats me to ramen at Ichizaku!"  
  
"Haha, I didn't expect to see you here again. My name's Iruka. Nice to meet you."  
  
"I'm Naruto! Hehe... can we go for ramen later?" Naruto asked slyly  
  
"Sure, but get into your seat first before we take the Genin test."  
  
Standing, Iruka took out a long scroll. "Ok, first up is Nara Shikamaru. Please step into the room."  
  
A boy with earrings and hair bundled up stood and muttered, "Sheesh... so damn troublesome..."  
  
After a while, Shikamaru came out with a headband tied to his arm.  
  
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke!"  
  
A boy with hair looking like he just got out of bed stood and went to the room while girls 'Ooh' and 'Ahh'ed at him.  
  
And the process continued until it was Naruto's turn.  
  
"Ok last one, Uzumaki Naruto!"  
  
Stepping into the room, Iruka closed the door and said, "Ok, throw 6 kunais at the dartboard, and make sure all of them hit the center.  
  
Easily, Naruto did so.  
  
"Ok next, punch the punching bag until it cracks. You must accomplish this within half a minute."  
  
Nodding, Naruto smashed his fist into the bag, shattering it completely.  
  
"Whoa... ok the last one, perform a simple bunshin, and there must be at least 3 before you can pass."  
  
Doing so, Naruto did a few seals and suddenly there were about 50 Naruto's appearing in the room... but they were all half-dead.  
  
"Uhh... well you didn't really meet the correct requirements... but I guess you can pass with your many amounts..." Beckoning to Naruto, Iruka took the last headband and tied it on Naruto's head. "Congratulations! You are now a recognized shinobi of Konoha, and you can return to the classroom now, and remember to meet me at Ichizaku later for your ramen, eh?"  
  
"Ok!" Naruto said joyfully as he exited the room.  
  
"Ok guys, you all have now passed the Genin test, and tomorrow you will be meeting back here where I will be separating each of you into groups of three, and introduce you all to your new Jounin-senseis. Class is now over, and you all can leave! See you all tomorrow."  
  
-----  
  
The next day, all the newly graduated Genins gathered at the academy.  
  
"Ok... now... group 7... consisting of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Your Jounin-in-charge is... Hatake Kakashi. Meet him after break in room 7."  
  
"Yeah! I'm with Sasuke! Haha too bad for you Ino." Sakura laughed gleefully as Ino was just paired with Chouji and Shikamaru.  
  
"It won't last, Sakura!" Ino countered back angrily.  
  
"Uhh... girls... don't fight here please..." Iruka tried to calm them down as sparks flew from eye to eye. "Anyway you all can go for your break now, and remember to meet your Jounin later."  
  
-----  
  
"Tch... Where the heck is our darn Jounin? He's like... 5 hours late already!" Naruto paced around the room impatiently.  
  
"Hai hai... I'm here..." A man with a mask appeared out of nowhere. "And I'm guessing you all are my group right? I'm Hatake Kakashi... And you all probably know each other well enough already, so lets get down to business."  
  
"Ok first, I'm going to have to test you all again." Taking out 3 bells, Kakashi continued, "Your objective is to try and snatch each of these bells from each other. I will give you 3 hours, and whoever has lost his/her bell will have to return to the Academy. Only the people with 3 bells at the end will pass and become a Genin."  
  
"What?" All three of them cried out in unison. "But then only one person will pass! And why do we have to fight with each other anyway?"  
  
Shrugging off their questions, Kakashi replied, "Well too bad, it's my group so you play by my rules. Any other questions and I'll probably just dump you all back to the academy, ok?" Handing each of them a bell, Kakashi spoke again, "You all will meet at the forest at 5 a.m. tomorrow. See you all there."  
  
And he vanished.  
  
-----  
  
"Hey there guys. Aren't you all early today." Kakashi waved at them.  
  
"WHAT???? YOU'RE 5 DAMN HOURS LATE!!!!!!!!!" the genins screamed at him.  
  
"Ah well... I got caught up in something... anyway lets begin, shall we?"  
  
Nodding, the 3 genins ran and hid in there own places. "You all have till noon to get the bells... which means only 2 hours... because I want to stop for lunch... so better hurry and get them..." Kakashi shouted as he took out his new book, "Paradise Island", and began to read.  
  
-----  
  
One hour had passed, and each of them still had their bells. Sweating profusely, Naruto attempted to snatch the bell from Sasuke again, but to no avail as Sasuke dodged the kick easily.  
  
"You gotta try harder then that," Sasuke smirked as he landed behind Naruto.  
  
"Hah! Let's see what happens when someone talks too big!" Naruto backflipped and slammed his heel onto Sasuke's chest, causing Sasuke to... vanish?"  
  
[Wha? Crap... a bunshin!] Naruto thought as he jumped again, dodging Sasuke who was attempting to sweep his legs.  
  
"Heh. Not bad, you have quick reflexes. But can you dodge this?" Performing 2 seals, Sasuke shouted, "Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu (Fire Element: Grand Fireball No Jutsu)!"  
  
Breathing an immense amount of fire, Sasuke manage to scorch almost a radius of 5 meters.  
  
[Damn... I don't really have much jutsus that I can use against him...] Naruto thought as he jumped again. Taking out a few kunais, he leapt into the air and started spinning. "Kunai Rain!" Naruto shouted as kunais dropped non- stop on Sasuke.  
  
[Dammit! I have to get out of here!] Sasuke rolled on the floor, barely escaping the kunais. [Better hide for a while to regain my chakra...]  
  
Naruto stopped his technique as soon as he noticed Sasuke had gone. [Now... where could he have disappeared to?]  
  
Noticing a figure in the bushes, Naruto immediately threw a kunai at it.  
  
"Ahh!" A scream was let out as the figure ducked.  
  
"...Who's there? That girl... er... Sakura... is it?" Naruto called out.  
  
Sakura stepped out, though still shaking from the fright. "Fight me, Naruto!" She said determinedly as she held a kunai.  
  
"Sorry but no... I don't fight girls... my experience with the Pervert Sennin thought me to treat them well... or at least better than he treats them," Naruto turned away, and continued to look for Sasuke.  
  
[Wow... I didn't know that he was such a gentleman...] Sakura thought.  
  
Just then, they both heard a ringing sound, and Naruto cursed. "Damn! The time's already up..."  
  
-----  
  
"Well well well... seems like no one has gotten all the bells eh?" Kakashi said cheerfully.  
  
"Does that mean... we all fail?" Sakura asked timidly.  
  
"Well... ok I'll give you all one more test. But first I want to point out to you guys your errors and such. Sasuke, you were trying very hard to fight Naruto for the bell, and you failed to do so, but what about Sakura? When a shinobi is involved in a battle, you cannot just forget about another person. Always remember the situation that you are in, you have to get a good grasp of the surrounding. If you had tried, you could have easily gotten the bell from Sakura. Though you still cannot get all the bells, but something is always better then nothing."  
  
"Sakura, what were you doing the whole time? You were just hiding in the bushes, watching Naruto and Sasuke fighting. You had many chances to snatch their bells while they were preoccupied, but you did nothing. Instead, you even 'challenged' Naruto to a fight! No shinobi announces that he/she will attack the person! It is a good as saying 'I'm going to kill you now' when you are assassinating someone. Don't do such a foolish thing next time, ok?"  
  
"And Naruto. You too wasted time fighting with Sasuke, while you could have chased after Sakura. And not only that, you even declined to fight her! It may seem cool to hold your head up high and following the code of chivalry, but a shinobi NEVER, I repeat, NEVER ever allows his target to escape, no matter what reason."  
  
"And finally, you all, don't you get the meaning of this test? This test ISN'T a test for each of your abilities, it's to see whether you all could work well and see beneath my words. I had said that only the people with 3 bells could pass, but I didn't say that only one person can pass. You all could have just decided to work together and share the bells, so each of you would have 3, and you would all have passed!"  
  
"No matter what, I'll be giving you all one more chance, so be prepared for it after lunch. There are 3 boxes of lunch over there. Eat, then meet me back here." Kakashi then vanished from the spot.  
  
As the 3 Genins walked over to their lunch, and as each of them opened their box, Sakura cried out. "Hey! There isn't anything in my box!"  
  
Sighing, Naruto handed her his box. "Take it, I can manage without lunch for a while anyway."  
  
"But... are you sure you can do that? Kakashi-sensei just told you not to do such things just because I'm a girl..." Sakura protested.  
  
"Never mind, its ok. You look exhausted, and this lunch would be better for you. You'd better build up your energy for the next test. I still have much left, so I'm quite ok."  
  
"Oh... ok then... thanks a lot... Naruto..." Sakura slowly took the box from Naruto.  
  
"You can have some of mine, Naruto." Sasuke handed him his box, which was half-eaten. "I had a heavy breakfast anyway."  
  
"Oh, ok thanks." Naruto said as he took the lunch.  
  
"NARUTO WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT!?" Kakashi roared as he dashed over, holding his kunai. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!"  
  
Suddenly appearing behind Naruto, Kakashi held a kunai to his throat... or was it?  
  
"Wha... what's this?" Naruto questioned as he slowly touched the scroll that Kakashi pressed to his throat.  
  
"Heh heh... I guess you all pass eh?" Kakashi grinned as he took out 2 more scrolls and gave them to Sakura and Sasuke. Graduation scrolls for all of you! Congratulations!"  
  
"Wha? But I thought we were going to have another test?" Sakura asked as she took her scroll.  
  
"Yup, and that –was- the other test. I placed 3 lunches there, but one was empty. I had to test whether you all would sacrifice your own things for your comrades. No matter what it is, your team always come first, personal things come second." Grinning, Kakashi continued, "And I guess you all have seen beneath my words, so congratulations again! You're the first team that I've ever passed, so be proud of the eh?"  
  
"Anyway, meet me at the bridge at 7 a.m. tomorrow. We're going to be starting on our missions, so be prepared for it. See you guys tomorrow then!" And with that, Kakashi vanished again.  
  
-----  
  
About a week later...  
  
"Argh! Not again!" Naruto groaned as his group received their daily mission, which was to search for... a cat.  
  
"Why do we have to keep doing these useless things, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto complained.  
  
"Well... you guys are only fit to do these missions right now... others are just too difficult for you all to handle." Kakashi replied patiently.  
  
"But but... I've had just about enough of doing these silly jobs! Can't we just try for something more exciting for once?"  
  
Though keeping silent, Sasuke and Sakura both silently agreed with Naruto.  
  
"Ah... well fine... I'll give you a C rank mission... is that alright with you Naruto?" The 3rd took out another scroll and handed it over to Kakashi. "This one is to protect a client, so do it well ok?"  
  
Nodding at the 3rd, Group 7 marched out of the office. "So Kakashi-sensei... what is the mission about?" Sakura asked eagerly.  
  
"Well... you all heard the 3rd... it's to protect..."  
  
"Me!" A voice shouted after the group. Turning around, they saw an old man holding a bottle of sake. "I'm Tazuna from the Mist Village. I'm an expert builder, and you guys have to protect me all the way here back to my village, and until I complete my bridge."  
  
Looking at Kakashi, he spoke again. "You're the teacher-in-charge of the group right? You sure they're up to the challenge? They just look like a couple of brats to me."  
  
Laughing, Kakashi replied, "Don't worry Tazuna-san. Even if they can't take the job I'll be there."  
  
Nodding, Tazuna walked out of the building, Group 7 following him closely.  
  
-----  
  
As the second ninja fell to the ground with a thud, Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Mind explaining what this is all about? Our job was to merely protect you from common bandits and such, but you didn't tell us there were ninjas after you. This has already turned into a B rank mission, you know?"  
  
Suddenly sweating profusely, Tazuna began to explain, "You see, there's this really evil but rich guy who has complete monopoly over the Mist Village and its economy. He tries to keep the village poor so that they would continue to work as hard as possible for him, but this causes many people there to starve."  
  
"I am aiming to build a bridge which will connect the mainland with our village, and apparently this guy, Gatou, isn't really happy with what I am trying to accomplish. So he keeps hiring ninjas to chase after me and kill me, and this causes much harassment to my construction of the bridge. Thus, my village decided to pool our money together and hire some ninjas to protect me while I finish the bridge."  
  
"But we were unable to gather enough money, and we could only afford a C rank mission." Hanging his head in shame, Tazuna continued, "I'm sorry for all the trouble that I have caused, and you all can return to your village if you wish to."  
  
"And then I'll gladly finish him off," a voice suddenly snarled out of nowhere.  
  
"Who's there?" Kakashi turned around. [It must be some really difficult enemy... I could hardly sense him coming]  
  
Hopping from the branch, Zabuza grinned. "The name's Momochi Zabuza. Silent assassin of the Mist." Taking out his huge sword and pointing it at Kakashi, he spoke again. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi."  
  
"Heh, seems that I need to make no introductions about myself," Kakashi said as he placed his hands around his headband, ready to lift it. "Back off you guys, he's no normal enemy. He's the infamous 'Devil Of The Mist'. And the only way that we're going to end this is my way. You're future is death, Zabuza."  
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes: Well that was quite a long one ain't it? =) Thanks to all those who reviewed, I will try my best to incorporate your advice into my fic as it goes on. Hopefully the next few will be longer than this one ;)  
  
(1) – I don't know how to translate this into Japanese. Anyone who knows can just drop me a little note by your review or gimme a short mail.  
  
(2) – Don't know how to translate this either. Anyone who knows can just do as above.  
  
Ok, well, I've decided that the Yondaime needs a name, but I'm not really sure what to choose for him! So, I need the help of those reading this to do a little poll. You can just make a little note at the end of your review, like if you support name (1), just put a little (1) at the end of your review, k? =)  
  
Ok, the names I've chosen are...  
  
(1) – The 'original' name, Hazama Arashi  
  
(2) – Kuroki Haru  
  
(3) – Hasaru Takuya  
  
(4) – Shiroi Kaze  
  
Yeah well some of the names may sound a little bit lame, but well just pick your favourite from these, ok? =)  
  
Well, I'm off to continue on the next chapter. Till next time folks! And remember to review and give any advice you have to spare! =)  
  
Coming soon! – Chapter 2: The Trial 


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